Hello! I will be starting my graduate program in psychology this fall and am feeling very anxious about it. When I applied to programs, I was confident in my decision to attend grad school. However, I have recently found interest in an area unrelated to my program and am questioning my decision to attend grad school. Has anyone experienced this uncertainty before? Any advice or personal stories would be helpful. Thank you!

I have seen people post that they have received 'unofficial acceptances' from their POI, often after an interview. For anyone who has received an unofficial acceptance, does this literally mean that the POI told you that you're in, but that official paperwork is to follow?
Both of my advisors have told me that the admissions committee and the program director with which I interviewed are not *allowed* to give unofficial acceptances (although my advisors are only speaking from their own experiences in/with other schools). I had a phone interview with my dream program's director, and I have sent him two subsequent emails (one to thank him for the interview, and another to tell him I got into another conference since we spoke) and he replied nicely to each of them, but with no hint either way except that I would still hear back at the time which he told me during our interview.
Are my advisors just being nice? Has anyone else had interviews and correspondence which didn't reveal a decision, but come to find out that you're accepted?
Any kind of feedback would be much appreciated. I haven't found any info on this in the posts which I've scoured, so I thought I'd ask

Hello everyone!
I don’t post here much so quick rundown.
I have a BA in political science and psychology, class of 2010. Currently working in a random ‘in the meantime’ corporate job for the past 6 months.
Anyway, I made the last minute decision in December to apply for Masters in Statistics.
The results are back:
Purdue and Iowa: denied.
NIU, Loyola, Michigan State, Illinois-Urbana-Champaign(top choice – in state) – admitted! (without funding of course – it’s a masters).
Anyway I’m fairly certain I can complete the master’s in 1 calendar year. (3 courses fall, 4 courses spring, 2 courses summer).
However… all of the sudden I’m having doubts about attending.
I’ve been taking a linear algebra class as part of my preparations – and although I’m doing very well, I find it painful/ very difficult to crack open the linear algebra textbook in most nights. It just doesn’t inspire or enthuse me a great deal.
Now I’m thinking – is this a sign of things to come? I became greatly interested in stats due to my psychology and political science work and experiments – but at the same time, the ANOVA’s and regressions and logit/ probit models of undergrad social sciences are a far cry from Rao-Blackwell theorem or Edgeworth expansions. For starters they didn’t require ANY calculus, vectors, or linear algebra. I’m confident in my abilities in those, but I’m not so certain about my interest --- especially in theoretical math. I love applied statistical study more for the relevance and the insight – to be honest the discoveries in my linear algebra class about math were sort of interesting (particularly underdetermined vs overdetermined systems), but not as much as a psychology course.
I’m just having doubts about my math interest all the sudden. And then there’s the career afterwards. I’m not what one would call “certain” about my career interests. Would a one year masters pigeon hole me into a math or data based career for life? Or would it open up opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise?
Add to THAT, that recently a new job has come knocking on my door. Better salary, benefits, etc. It’s working with technology AND data analysis, including some statistics. The guy is willing to give me the job provided I don’t have graduate school plans in the fall, of course, which is sensible. This would be a great opportunity to see if data analysis is something I DO enjoy doing right now, plus I would learn more about business and further my technology/ programming skills. Wouldn’t that be better on doubling down on an unknown (grad school in applied stat?) --- or would 1 year, $13,500 total tuition grad school be so little an investment in time and money, that it would be fool-hearty NOT to do it?
I’m just so confused right now. I’m a bit intimidated by grad school, and I’m not CERTAIN math and stats is the ultimate field for me. Or whether a year of calculus + vector based upper level math is going to be a masochistic experience. I also feel like grad school is a now-or-never proposition.
Add to my career uncertainty, the social aspect. My social life is in shambles right now to an extent due to a period of unemployment after graduation (I’m still living at home, but would move out if taking the new job). And I think the allure of returning to a college environment (although grad school is MUCH different than undergrad socially I’ve heard) for social reasons might be clouding my judgment ---- like maybe I’m sort of enticed by visions of a great social life – even though just a one year grad program --- and not necessarily the rigorous study of upper-level statistics and stochastic processes.
Finally – and not to downplay the stats folk here – but for most business purposes, are THAT complex of statistics really needed, outside of high finance or insurance?
That would be my main goal of MS in Stats – to put myself in a better position to pursue a career I like. Aka, purely to get a job in industry. But do most jobs/ businesses/ fields --- other than finance, pharm, or insurance --- require thorough knowledge of Bayesian statistics or what not? I don’t know. I could always crack open a textbook on Categorical Analysis or Time Series myself, too, outside of school.
I’m just having a quarter life crisis right now it seems. Do I go to grad school? Take the new job? Yes, the main problem is I’m unsure of my ultimate career interests.
Anyone have similar feeling or know what to do? Advice especially welcome from people who went to grad school for stats, or other perspectives as well.
Forgot to mention: I have to decide if I want the new job by Sunday! (two days) Freaking out!

Hello everyone!
I don’t post here much so quick rundown.
I have a BA in political science and psychology, class of 2010. Currently working in a random ‘in the meantime’ corporate job for the past 6 months.
Anyway, I made the last minute decision in December to apply for Masters in Statistics, and finished apps by January.
The results are back:
Purdue and Iowa: denied.
NIU, Loyola, Michigan State, Illinois-Urbana-Champaign(top choice – in state) – admitted! (without funding of course – it’s a masters).
Anyway I’m fairly certain I can complete the master’s at Illinois in 1 calendar year. (3 courses fall, 4 courses spring, 2 courses summer).
However… all of the sudden I’m having doubts about attending.
I’ve been taking a linear algebra class as part of my preparations – and although I’m doing very well, I find it painful/ very difficult to crack open the linear algebra textbook in most nights. It just doesn’t inspire or enthuse me a great deal.
Now I’m thinking – is this a sign of things to come? I became greatly interested in stats due to my psychology and political science work and experiments – but at the same time, the ANOVA’s and regressions and logit/ probit models of undergrad social sciences are a far cry from Rao-Blackwell theorem or Edgeworth expansions. For starters they didn’t require ANY calculus, vectors, or linear algebra. I’m confident in my abilities in those, but I’m not so certain about my interest --- especially in theoretical math. I love applied statistical study more for the relevance and the insight – to be honest the discoveries in my linear algebra class about math were sort of interesting (particularly underdetermined vs overdetermined systems), but not as much as a psychology course.
I’m just having doubts about my math interest all the sudden. And then there’s the career afterwards. I’m not what one would call “certain” about my career interests. Would a one year masters pigeon hole me into a math or data based career for life? Or would it open up opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise?
Add to THAT, that recently a new job has come knocking on my door. Better salary, benefits, etc. It’s working with technology AND data analysis, including some statistics. The guy is willing to give me the job provided I don’t have graduate school plans in the fall, of course, which is sensible. This would be a great opportunity to see if data analysis is something I DO enjoy doing right now, plus I would learn more about business and further my technology/ programming skills. Wouldn’t that be better on doubling down on an unknown (grad school in applied stat?) --- or would 1 year, $13,500 total tuition grad school be so little an investment in time and money, that it would be fool-hearty NOT to do it?
I’m just so confused right now. I’m a bit intimidated by grad school, and I’m not CERTAIN math and stats is the ultimate field for me. Or whether a year of calculus + vector based upper level math is going to be a masochistic experience. I also feel like grad school is a now-or-never proposition.
Add to my career uncertainty, the social aspect. My social life is in shambles right now to an extent due to a period of unemployment after graduation (I’m still living at home, but would move out if taking the new job). And I think the allure of returning to a college environment (although grad school is MUCH different than undergrad socially I’ve heard) for social reasons might be clouding my judgment ---- like maybe I’m sort of enticed by visions of a great social life – even though just a one year grad program --- and not necessarily the rigorous study of upper-level statistics and stochastic processes.
Finally – and not to downplay the stats folk here – but for most business purposes, are THAT complex of statistics really needed, outside of high finance or insurance?
That would be my main goal of MS in Stats – to put myself in a better position to pursue a career I like. Aka, purely to get a job in industry. But do most jobs/ businesses/ fields --- other than finance, pharm, or insurance --- require thorough knowledge of Bayesian statistics or what not? I don’t know. I could always crack open a textbook on Categorical Analysis or Time Series myself, too, outside of school.
I’m just having a quarter life crisis right now it seems. Do I go to grad school? Take the new job? Yes, the main problem is I’m unsure of my ultimate career interests.
Anyone have similar feeling or know what to do? Advice especially welcome from people who went to grad school for stats, or other perspectives as well.

Hi all-
Forgive if this is a repeat post, but I'm wondering the subjects for everyone's writing samples, if anyone doesn't mind sharing!
My subject area is a combo historical period (20th century British) and theory. So I'm trying to narrow my writing sample to something that best suits this area. I have an essay on Woolf's novelsand Helene Cixous's ecriture feminine, and another on Joyce's Ulysses and Lacanian thought. What I'm realizing is that these are dated - my theory component is smack in the middle of the 1960s/70s. Should I choose something else entirely? And what are you all writing about? Are you in modern territory, or do you find you're delving into criticism that's already happened? Am I just neurotically wondering if I'm 50 years behind the field??